Biodegradable plastics are of increasing industrial interest as replacements or supplements for non-biodegradable plastics in a wide range of applications and in particular for packaging applications. One class of biodegradable polymers is the polyhydroxyalkanoates (PHAs), which are linear, aliphatic polyesters that can be produced by numerous microorganisms for use as intracellular storage material. Articles made from the polymers are generally recognized by soil microbes as a food source. There has therefore been a great deal of interest in the commercial development of these polymers, particularly for disposable consumer items. The polymers exhibit good biodegradability and useful physical properties.
In some applications, the rapid biodegradability of PHAs is a problem, and therefore a need exists for compositions that assist in controlling the rate of biodegradation of PHAs.